


Nothing If Not Lucky

by PixyMisa87



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-16
Updated: 2017-03-01
Packaged: 2018-06-02 15:37:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6571849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PixyMisa87/pseuds/PixyMisa87
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>To be a true Saiyan warrior one must be able to fight, subjugate, and destroy. Things that seventeen year old Gine has struggled with her whole life. Now after being passed from squad to squad, her absolutely last chance is with Captain Bardock and his team. Gine knows she can make it work this time, but what she doesn't know is why Bardock keeps looking at her like that...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Make no mistake Gine, I meant what I said before. That last mission was supposed to be your last chance," Paragus spat, every word clipped. The older man looked down on his victim, his face of menace and evil. Brown eyes lightened for a moment like a killer waiting for his prey, "...but due to current circumstances, I don't really have a choice, now do I? The wishes of Lord Freeza come first.

It was stuffy in the older man's office. Paperwork laid in piles around the old, wooden desk while Paragus sat disgruntled in the middle. Dark brown hair stood up in spikes while his wild eyes observed ever so cautiously. Birds chirped outside the clear glass window, while the grunts of working men echoed through the hallways. The sound of typing made up the usual chorus in the offices, while the occasional laughter filled up the awkward silence. It was a peaceful day. However, Gine didn't feel anything but anxiety.

The Saiyan woman continued to stand in front the desk, upright and stiff. Beads of sweat dripped off her forehead, while her hands felt clammy. She tried her best not fidget under his glare.

Paragus shrugged. Tilting his head sidewards, Gine could feel his cold smile sink into her flesh. Oh how she wished to be outside. "Oh don't be so quiet woman. It is uncharacteristic of you. You are on your last warning. If you dare fail again… I would hate to see what would happen."

That tone. Those clipped, uneasy words that help so much promise. There were many times, soldiers would turn their backs, unseeing of the damage the higher ups would do to a disgraced comrade. Ethics only went so far.

"I understand. Thank you Paragus sir."

Paragus shook his head in disappointment, jerking out the wooden desk drawer in front of him. As he grabbed a paper and a pen, Gine continued to watch in silence.

The older man rested on his chair, rocking his knees back and forth in front of his computer. The screen was white as a ghost, while he rested the tip of his pen to his lips.

She felt an itch on the side of her arm, the temptation as sinful as a lover but she couldn't afford to move, not even an inch. The reality of this, was like of a dream, with the waking dawn in the edge of her mind. It could slip away as easily as it started.

No, she would stand firm.

While Paragus could be a bit on the unpredictable side, he was known to stay true to his word. His position in the army gave him the power to do what most would consider morally wrong. Murder. Despair. Terror. Those words would follow a man to his grave, however Paragus did not seemed fazed by this.

No one dared to be stupid enough to be on his bad side.

Well, except Gine. Her thoughts laughed.

If she screwed up once more… Gine couldn't help but feel the rising panic inside of her gut.

While the mission itself hadn't been all that bad and was ultimately successful, her own performance had been nothing short of dismal. Not too long after they arrived, her team had all but abandoned her when it became all too clear on how inadequate she was. She never was the most useful of soldiers.

The last few days were the worst and... It turned to grey when everything was destroyed.

The last thing she could remember was a giant roaring ball of fire engulfing everything in its path. She couldn't tell if it was a ki blast or an ill-timed meteor. It burned hot, and glowed bright while villagers around her screamed to the heavens. Mass panic surrounded her, squeezing the very breath from her lungs. Boiling, unending heat sent shivers coursing through her body. Shielding her eyes from the mass glare of the light, she couldn't help but try to shut off the drowning sound of shouting. People were dying.

Children ran crying around her. Mothers begging the Gods to save them while men ordered their families to run. It was pointless though...

Everyone was going to die...

With her mouth in an open scream, the thing collided with the planet. The power of the blast knocked her from the sky and into a tall and sturdy tree with flaming branches. As she fell to the ground she couldn't stop the darkness from swallowing her into a deep scream filled sleep that held her for hours. When she awoke she was face down on her stomach buried under still smoking hot debris. Feeling around, she startled as her hand touched a…

Gine shrieked.

It was a bone.

Sitting up quickly, her eye sight was blurry and her legs weak. She tried to grab the nearest object to steady herself and pulled away fast when her skin started to burn. Harsh ash filled her nostrils with the smell of burnt flesh. Gagging, she activated her scouter to try and call for help but…

Her device was not picking up any high power levels anywhere on the planet. Static was the only answer to her calls. Her teammates were nowhere to be seen. She knew they had survived. No Saiyan would die from something like this which could only mean one thing.

She had been left for dead.

That realization snuffed out the last bit of light of an already weak spark of hope. For a long time, she sat there with her knees pulled up to her chin and her heart heavy. The shock cascaded into her body, pulling her under like waves on to the shore. It was almost like a dream.

She didn't follow her team to their next scheduled destination.

Gine did what most couldn't. What some would rather kill themselves for than receive the punishment for.

Went home like a coward.

All through the journey home, she had managed to hold it together until she reached the doorway of her room. Those shattered memories seemed to be pulling her back under. It felt like she was drowning. Unable to catch a breath, she collapsed to the ground.

The horrors. The bloodshed. The absolute violence. Her failure. Gine could feel the rising bile at the back of her throat.

It beckoned to her. To let hot, salty tears roll down her cheeks and let them spill on to the cold floor. A ripping sensation flooded her body, as she held on to the soft carpet beneath.

Only the beeping woke her from her spell.

Pulling her pride together, Gine stumbled toward the scouter of her room. Reaching for it, she pressed the bright red button and let her body crumble against the wall.

"Hello," Her shaky breath echoed through the empty room.

"The commander would like to see you."

Gine raised an eyebrow while curiosity flooded her system. The Commander? Dread washed through her. She hadn't expected them to bother with her at all anymore. Only if….

The realization set in. Her heart thumped hard against her rib cage. She couldn't help but allow hot tears fall down her cheeks as Gine cursed. It was over. This was it.

Now here she stood. Observing her commander stare away at his computer screen. About to receive orders for a new mission and a new team placement. A higher power, somehow, somewhere liked Gine. A new chance! A new start. She couldn't help but let a small smile slip on to her lips.

"Okay here's all you need to know." Paragus said handing her a slip of paper, "You meet Bardock`s team at tower five launch pad eleven in one hour don't be late."

Gine blinked in surprise "One hour?

"Do you want it or not, Gine?"

Bowing her head, Gine answered "Y..yes sir. Thank you sir"

Someone hammered at the door. With a wave of his hand, Paragus gave her permission to leave. She bowed again, turning towards the exit.

"Gine."

"Sir?"

His voice was icy, "If things go south for you again, might I suggest you practice your hole digging skills," Paragus beamed, "The way I see it a hole would be a better place for you than to return to Vegeta again."

It was like spiders running up her body, " I understand. Thank you again sir"

Moving through the doors, she narrowly missed the man strolling through. Gine just kept mobile. She didn't stop moving until she was back on the near empty city streets. Warm rays of sunlight started chasing off the cool night wind's chill. Wind danced around her, picking up her hair and spraying sand from the desert in her eyes. Wiping away the dust, she jerked her hair back into place. and waved the dust away. Once settled she looked over the slip of paper still clenched in her hand.

NOTICE OF TRANSFER:

REPORT TO SQUAD 5281.

SET FOR IMMEDIATE DEPARTURE TO PLANET ZWEETS AT 0700.

SQUAD LEADER: BARDOCK

MISSION OBJECTIVE: CONQUEST

Gine could feel her mouth run dry, thoughts spinning inside her mind. One more chance or this was it for her. No second opportunities. Now or never. Thoughts such as that made her stomach squeeze.

Good things like this aren't supposed to happen to people like her. Weakling nobodies who lacked the power to hold onto what they took. If her life was a movie, Gine knew her role would be that background character who dies and no one cares about. That, was never a comforting thought.

The most she could say about herself with some certainty was that she wasn't the weakest Saiyan to ever live. Although she did not know who if anyone held that dishonor.

Still there was deep, unwilling pain inside of her. The kind that boils and leaves someone hollow. There was something she couldn't pinpoint. The kind that made her different. She could do what she had to when it came to defending herself and surviving. Gine had being doing that for years, but it was like some invisible force stilled her hand every time she heard cries for mercy.

Those moments of hesitation had nearly cost not only her own life, but those of her teammates as well. The names "jinx" and "Gine the team killer" had been following her since childhood.

It's been an uphill battle for Gine for a long time, with things never seeming to get any better, but she was determined to change that. She knew she couldn't afford not to.

Time seemed to tick away slowly. The little hand slowly revolving around the center, a little too slowly for her liking. Still about one hour left before lift-off. Enough time to go get her gear. Maybe even talk to Choy, if she could find her fast enough.

Hopefully Choy wouldn't be too angry with her.


	2. Chapter 2

The Meat Distribution Center was an open air market located towards the edge of the city. A place where many men and women spent their evenings working. Most of them had come from the city itself, while some came from other worlds. Each of them united.

Most of it was made up of several wooden stalls and small shapeless stone buildings gathered around in a circle like formation. The biggest building was a massive and round pearly white tower with circular windows. It loomed over rest of the center from its place in the back like the lord of the land watching his domain.

The place served as both a base of operations and a cafeteria.

Gine had many happy childhood memories from this place. It was her home, her one true place of safety and peace. No one could take that away from her. Not even Paragus.

She landed by the nearest window on the ground floor. It's glass frame rattling from the impact. The window looked into the main dining area. Hundreds of men and women, laughing and chatting while getting ready for their day. Cursing to herself, Gine shook her head.

Peering in closer, she hoped to find a familiar woman amongst them.

"Miiiissssss Giiiiinnneeeee!"

Gine's whole body felt like it was lunged forward as strong arms grabbed her from behind in a tight hug. Her faced squished against the freezing glass. Some people stopped inside for a moment, curious about the chaos outside. Pushing herself off the wall, Gine ignored the stares of many of the workers, waving her hand in dismissal at them. She looked down over her shoulder at a very round Saiyan child with a single patch of brown hair that stuck straight up, on top of a very round head.

Laughing while wiping away tears, she turned around in the child's arms and hugged him back. "Good morning Bok, you surprised me. I didn't know you were still home."

Bok hugged her tighter, lifting her light weight off the ground, "Mama got me up super extra early. I had to fight with her for ages," The kid laughed, squeezing tighter, "Then she told me to go and find something for the center otherwise I can't come back for supper," Letting go of Gine, he grabbed her hand enthusiastically. Bok excitedly pulled her to the receiving and cutting area behind the main building, "So I looked for a very long time and then I found something really good. It's extremely good. See Miss Gine? Don't you think it's really good?"

Bok couldn't be more prideful of his find.

Gine looked wide eyed at the creature before her, its scales shimmering in the sunlight. It was a giant desert serpent with sharp jagged teeth that stuck out of its mouth. The horns that had blood stained on its ivory base stood out proudly on its head. These creatures were known to be very aggressive and fairly powerful. Easy enough for a Saiyan adult, but could prove a real challenge for most children. For a six going on seven-year-old to take one down, on his own no less, was amazing.

"You did great Bok. I'm sure your mom's going to be real proud. Has she seen it yet?"

"No"

"Let's go and find her before they finish chopping it up. I need to talk to her really quick too."

Bok bounced from where he stood, excitement pouring off him, "They told me she's at Hub Five checking out today's deliveries. Let's go!"

Bok started to run off, as fast as any hyperactive six-year-old. Shaking her head, Gine chuckled following the boy with an easy step. Watching him run off into the distance, she felt her heart tug for a moment. Besides his mom and her grandfather, he was the only Saiyan alive who had decent opinion of her.

Gine would risk her life to save him, she knew that. Loved him like she would a sibling. Though, in current circumstances…. Perhaps staying away would be best.

Negative thoughts started to sliver around in her head, causing Gine to shiver. She shook her head and tried to push them to the back of her mind but they still persisted.

What if she screwed up again? Even her best efforts and extra training haven't been enough to save her in the end. She was only getting another chance thanks to a pure stroke of luck. On top of that she was going into this completely blind.

She knew nothing. Her team was still a mystery…. So was the mission meant to save her career. True it wouldn't matter much who they were on the battle field, but before all that she wanted to make a good first impression. Knowing more about them could only help. If only...

"Mama!"

Bok's voice brought Gine back to herself and her surroundings. Seeing the little boy run up to a building surrounded by wagons filled with both living and dead animals of all shapes and sizes, she jogged straight after him. Going into the small area, Gine saw the woman she had been looking for.

Standing next to one of the larger wagons with a clipboard in hand was a very plump Saiyan woman with short curly hair and wearing yellow and black armour.

Choy didn't even look up as her son approached her, "Took you long enough Bok!" she said sharply, inspecting one of the beasts beside her, "Don't tell me you got hurt! Do you know what I would have done if you had gotten hurt! You know to come home earlier than this time."

Bok let his gaze fall to the ground. Kicking the ground, Bok mumbled, " I'm sorry mama. I went right to the house, but you weren't there. Then I got something to eat and then I met up with Gine and then..."

"I told you exactly where I would be by the time you got back. As usual you didn't listen and wasted time. I bet you even let the skinners go ahead and start on the meat before I could inspect it didn't you? Afraid I would tell you to go and get another one? Lazy brat."

Gine watched the pride and joy fade from the boy's eyes like day fading into night. His shoulders slacked, bottom lip quivered while Gine could swear there were tears in the little boy's eyes. Gine stood beside him and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"He really did do a good job Choy," Gine tried to help, "The serpent is an almost perfect condition. We'll get a good couple of weeks of meat out it for sure," When she didn't respond, Gine continued softly, "Besides you're usually running around all over the place in the morning, so you can be hard to find. Easy mistake for Bok or anyone to make. Even me," Gine beamed at her.

Choy stared back and forth between them, eye brow raised. She sighed loudly, "Whatever, can't be helped now. You got the meat like I asked and that's all that matters I suppose... thank you."

Some light came back in the little boy's eyes. Gine was happy for him

"Just DO NOT let this happen again if you know what's good for you," Choy snapped. "I won't be so nice next time."

Despite the ominousness warning, Bok grinned at his mother while saluting her, "Yes ma'am."

"Now go home and get some sleep. We'll train later"

"Yes Mama. Bye Miss Gine"

And with that, he was off….

"Bye you little fool," Gine smiled, waving to the disappearing figure. Bok grinned at her, waving till he completely disappeared.

"Gine."

"Uh...yeah?" Turning around to the older woman, Gine cocked her head in curiously.

Choy's expression was stern, but her was voice was calm, " I understand what you trying to do for him, but remember he's MY son. MY responsibility. I can't afford to have him be weak in any way. For both his sake and mine. You know that Gine."

She did. Due to their low and unsteady population, it was law on Planet Vegeta that every Saiyan female must raise at least one child to adult hood before her healthy child bearing years are up. Those who failed to do so were taken away to the palace and dealt with accordingly.

Choy had cut it close with Bok. She had been a mother twice before and both times her children had died in their second year of battle missions. She had confided in Gine many times that if she had just trained them more and made them stronger they would still be with her... It was a Saiyan mother's duty to be her child's first trainer after all. It was this thinking that drove her to push Bok so hard.

Gine couldn't fault that logic.

"...still I don't think a couple of nice words here and there would hurt. Or at least less harsh tone. He only wants to impress you."

Choy gave her a pointed look, "Oh I'm not the one he really wants to impress, "Choy chuckled, entertaining her own thoughts, "He only does his best work when he thinks you are going to see it. Otherwise it's like pulling tail fur with him."

Gine chuckled.

"I guess it'll work out though. Now that you are here full time, he'll always have his favourite audience right at home. He'll be a first rate warrior in no time. You'll be the perfect bribe."

Gine's smile faded and she scratched the back of her head. "Well actually that's what I wanted to see you about in the first place." She pulled out the scrap of paper and held it out for Choy to take, "I was assigned to another team."

"What, really?" She grabbed the paper, holding it close to her face. Silence returned to the two of them, "Well I'll be darned so you have. Gine m'dear you are nothing if not lucky."

"That's what Paragus said," she answered sheepishly, " I didn't want to just tell you over the scouter and I had to come and get my gear. I'm sorry."

Choy shrugged, "It is what it is m'dear, especially if it's an order from Lord Freeza. Paragus must have been really desperate to ask you," Choy mumbled, "Oh no offense." She added when she saw Gine's expression. "it's just when Paragus says he'll do something, he follows through. I know he was at his wits end with you. Also to put you on Bardock's team no less."

Gine asked hopefully, "Do you know you him?"

"You don't? I hear he's a rising star amongst your class," When Gine shook her hear head Choy continued, "In any case I don't know him all that well. I'm friends with the parents of one his crew members, and they have been friends for years. All of them have come through here a couple of times. So we have had a few words."

"So what's he like?"

Choy grabbed her chin and closed her eyes in concentration, "If I had to pick words to describe him, he's one cocky son a gun, with the violent streak to match. In other words, a regular old pain in the ass."

"...oh." Gine could feel a headache coming on and her stomach starting to hurt. The web of doubt had caught her again with added strength. She found herself almost wishing she hadn't gotten another chance. What did she hope to prove? If this Bardock was how Choy described him then she couldn't imagine him being very patient with her.

He would probably kill her. What was she going to do?

She was so deep in thought that she didn't notice Choy move and put her face inches from her own. "Hey what's with that face?" She said loudly, "You better not be thinking of backing out now, I won't have it."

Gine couldn't stop her whole body from shaking, "I... I'm sorry. It's just…

"No none of that, stop it," Choy snapped, "Remember what we talked about Gine, first impressions are very important and you've got to let them see you are serious. Go in there like this and it's all over."

Gine nodded weakly. Choy sighed and placed a firm hand on Gine's shoulder.

"I don't know if they know about your track record, but that doesn't matter right now. You've been training really hard Gine and you have gotten better. Remember you are a Saiyan, so be proud and believe in yourself. This may really be your last chance so make it count, okay?"

The webs cleared away and Gine could feel the hope and maybe even some pride flow into her. She brought her arm across her chest in the traditional salute, "Yes Choy. I'll make you proud."

Choy smiled brightly and patted her shoulder, "I know you will, and remember no matter what, you have a home to come back to. So when do you meet your team?"

"In about thirty minutes."

"Well then you better be off. Would have been nice to have you here, but we will manage."

Gine wanted so badly to hug her, but wasn't sure

"Oh come here girl."

The two women embraced in a tight and warm hug. "Thank you Choy."

"Mm. Good luck, come back alive."

"Tell Bok bye for me and that I'm sorry I had leave so soon."

"I'll just tell him you left because he wasn't training hard enough. That'll light a fire in him while you're gone."

Gine opened her mouth to argue, but though better of it. Something else did occur to her though, "What does this Bardock guy look like anyway?"

"Oh he'll be easy to spot. Just look for the grumpy guy with craziest spiky hair. Won't miss him."

With a nod and one more goodbye Gine took to the air and headed back to the main building. Groups of people of were already starting to line up outside. She flew down and entered a back door that opened up to a flight of stairs. Flying up the stairs and past other residents, she went up to the penthouse.

It had been many years since Gine had moved in with Choy and then later Bok. Her kindness and his friendship saved her from despair and loneliness.

As she made her way to her room she could hear soft snore coming from Bok's closed room. Closing her eyes, she mumbled softly.

"I'll come back, I promise."

She closed her door softly behind her. Gear that had been burnt in the last mission lay strewn over the room. Gathering them in a small pile, she went to work replacing some of the items. First aid Kit. Armor repair ointment. Spare clothes. Nodding her head, she grabbed her gear and strolled to the window. Looking around one last time, she jumped out of the window, and took to the skies.

Gine arrived at Tower VII with ten minutes to spare. Placing her hands in her pockets, she interweaved through the dense crowd. Taking a deep breath, Gine let her back rest against the rough brick wall of the tower. The sun boiled her skin, the heat almost unbearable while the crowd laughed around her.

Too many thoughts were spinning around in her head. About her new team…. About her impending fate, it was almost too much.

She may not know anything about them, but that wasn't going to get in the way of making a good first impression. Even if Bardock or whoever gave her a hard time she was going to make it work this time. She had this.

"...yeah man can't wait to cut loose."

She looked up just in time to see a group of people disappearing down the hallway to the meeting place. That had to be them.

Keeping her body upright, she followed them.

"Remember you got this Gine." She thought to herself " Just show them that you mean business and that you are ready. You got this."

The hall opened up to a large deck outside covered with rubber like circular pads on the floor. Technicians were busy carrying out large metal orbs onto the deck and getting them ready for take-off. The sounds of machines filled the air.

Gine could see her new team gathered at the foot of the stairs talking. There were four of them and none had noticed her yet. She could make out a tall male Saiyan with his hair tied back in a ponytail and wearing light blue armor.

On either side of him was a fat Saiyan man with short hair pale skin and a moustache. Beside him was a shorter Saiyan female with short dark hair and fierce looking eyes. The fourth member had his back to her and seemed to have his arms crossed. Choy had not been lying about the hair. She had never seen anything like it. Not even in her own family.

The time had come. She took a deep breath steeled her nerves and made her feet move forward. They were still deep in conversation and hadn't noticed when she was right behind their leader. She reached up and gently tapped his shoulder

"Huh?" He turned around.

Many years from now when she is sitting down with friends she hasn't met yet recalling this day her mouth will hang open in realization. This was her first out of body experience. It was like she took a seat next to herself and watched in horror as everything happened. She watched herself stand completely still, arm barley moving from where she tapped Bardock on the shoulder. Her eyes were wide, her mouth hung open and her face was rose red.

Bardock and his crew looked at her like she was crazy. He put his hands on his hips and shifted weight from one leg to another. " Well what is it? What do you want?"

Gine could feel her heart beating fast and hard. The room seemed to spin around her, causing her gaze to fall to her feet. She could feel the red rosy blush rise up to her cheeks. Covering her face with her hands, Gine tried to hide the oncoming wave of anxiety.

The woman of the team stepped forward "That the new girl? What's her problem?"

Gine mumbled to herself, " Come on, move, say something. They're all watching. Come on." Her voice was barely above a whisper. "I..I'm Gine."

"Huh?" asked the tall one as he leaned forward and cupped his ears. "Can't hear you."

One more try…

"MY NAME IS GINE RANK LOWER THIRD CLASS AND I HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED TO YOUR TEAM AS OF TODAY SIR. IT IS AN HONOR TO MEET YOU! SIR!"

She could hear her words echoing off the building. People had their hands clapped over their ears, eyes staring widely at her, heads cocked sidewards. The world seemed to have gone still and quiet.

Gine's eyes stayed on the ground. Angry looking men and women stared back at her, hands still covered on their ears. She had screwed up…

The moustached Saiyan spoke first, "Geez we're right here."

The tall one laughed, stepping forward clapped her on the back, "Woo, got some lungs on that one. Gotta watch out for Miss Gine."

Gine smiled nervously.


	3. Chapter 3

Gine didn't dare make eye contact with her team. She stood there with her hands clasped together and eyes firmly on the ground. She just knew her face had to be as red as the sun. All eyes were on her when the crew's ears finally stopped ringing. No one said a word. Gine was still looking at the ground while the crew shared puzzled looks with each other. It was the other female Saiyan who broke the silence.

"Nice,first we all almost go deaf," The woman sneered, eyes watching her like a hawk, "...and now a dead awkward silence. A stupid way to start things off that's for sure."

Gine's voice shook fiercely, "I… I am… sorry"

"Ruined the day."

"I'm sorry."

Crossing her arms, the woman barked, "You are not helping yourself. Stop with the sorries. It doesn't help your image."

"Oh back off for a second Celipa," The tall Saiyan laughed, "You have to admit, it was one hell of an icebreaker. This is something we can all laugh about later. Or at the very least I will." He turned to the young woman,with a nice smile "So Gine was it?

Her eyes were still on the ground and voice still low. "Y...yeah. Lower Third Class Gine."

"Well welcome to the team. I'm Toma, Upper Third Class. The harpy over there is Celipa and the big behind her is Pumbukin."

Toma's comments earned him a chuckle from Pumbukin and the middle finger from Celipa.

His reassuring presence gave Gine the courage to lift her eyes and face her new comrades. Celipa still had her arms crossed and was staring daggers at her and Toma. Pumbukin for his part seemed to be a little amused by the events. He was smiling at least. Though he was giving Gine a strange look she didn't quite like. Still she tried to force out the bad thoughts and beamed,back at them.

"... and that glorious ray of sunshine over there is our fearless leader Bardock."

Toma gently turned Gine around to fully face her new captain. She barley glanced at the figure of strong muscles, bronzed skin, and the craziest spiky hair before her eyes darted downward again. The memory of her earlier behaviour came flooding back. What the hell was that all about? Never in her life had her body reacted in such a way. Not even in her most intense moments of fear…

It wasn't just fear she felt though, it was everything. Happiness, anxiety, confusion, shyness, maybe even a ping of sadness. It had hit her all at once like an anger filled punch to the gut. All from just laying eyes on him? What was it?

Toma said. "Well ain't you going to say something Bardock. This is your new subordinate and teammate after all. You should at least say hello"

Gine thought of Choy and how she was really failing her right now. This can't be at all how she had hoped the first meeting would go. She cursed at herself and forced her eyes to look up.

Bardock had at some point moved a bit always from the group and was observing the introductions in silence. His face was set in an icy scowl.

When their eyes met tingles ran up and down Gine's spine and she could feel her heart thumping wildly again. The thumping grew even harder as he started to walk towards her. His heavy boots clinked against the metal ground as he took long and purposeful steps, until he was right in front of her. Her body was heating up and her head was spinning.

Bardock's eyes scanned over her. It was such an intense look that Gine half expected him to tell her to turn around and then open her mouth so he could inspect her teeth.

He tilted his head side wards. Eyes staring straight at her. Lifting his chin, he snapped, "They sent me a kid... what a load of crap."

All the hope Gine had not a moment before, drained from her instantly. Her throat went parched."Kid?" Gine thought, taken aback for a moment. That was a new one for her. She didn't know how to react. Still she couldn't let that stand. Hiding her shock, she kept eye contact with the man.

"Excuse me but I'm not a kid."

"How old are you?"

"Seventeen."

"A. Kid." And with that, he walked off.

Gine was rooted to the spot with her mouth hanging open. She could hear Toma and Pumbukin laughing behind her, making her feel really small.

Pumbukin walked to stand beside her still laughing. "Well at least she's old enough to change her own diapers. Right Bardock.?"

Bardock just gave her another icy glare over his shoulder and turned away again.

Pumbukin continued "Although now that I get a better look a her, maybe this won't be so bad. Cute one ain't ya?" He winked at her

Gine tried to give a polite smile and stepped away.

Toma walked over and wrapped his arm around Pumbukin's shoulder. "Down boy down. I think she's just a bit to young for you. Give her about eight more years give or take." The two of them roared with laughter again.

Gine felt a little bit humiliated. As much as she wanted another chance she didn't ask to be on their team specifically. It wasn't her fault they were older than her.

She clenched her hand into a fist "Hey just because I'm younger doesn't mean anything. You guys are writing me off like I am garbage before giving me a chance. I'm not rubbish."

"That remains to be seen" Celipa sniped

Laughter was still in Toma's voice "Ah calm down kid. Just having a bit of fun."

"I'm not a child." Gine said sternly

"Right, right."

A short purple alien with a long snout came rushing towards them. He stopped in front of Bardock and gave a respectful salute.

"Bardock sir, your crew's space pods are prepared and ready to go."

"Finally" Celipa pushed her way past the crew. "If you school girls are done giggling let's hurry up and go. We have to leave today if we want to catch the full moon."

The atmosphere changed and was all business now. The group made their way to their individual space pods that opened as each person approached. Gine was the last to get into her pod. Her body felt stiff and shaky as she climbed in. She was relieved when she sat down on the comfortable leather seating. The door closed with a loud hiss of air, and she slumped in her seat. The mixed bag of the days events were really settling with her. It drained her. She lazily looked out the pods only window at the other pods. The thought of her "teammates" made her feel even more drained. She really didn't know what to think of them.

All in all that first meeting really could have gone a lot better. All the mental preparation and pep talk had all been for nothing in the end. She still managed to be her own worst enemy. She pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed.

The last few techs cleared off the launching area and it was all still outside. With no visible signal one by one each pod started to slowly rise into the air. When each one was well off the ground they radiated with a brilliant light and shot off into the sky. Past the clouds and out into space they went.

Gine could feel her eyelids getting heavier. The sleeping gas must have been released. She welcomed the promise of not having to think for a little while. Her last thoughts before she slept was a call to whatever higher power had allowed her to get another chance to please let this mission go well. If not that than at least for her not to mess up completely.


	4. Chapter 4

"Kid. Hey kid wake up. KID!"

Gine shot straight up in her seat with her eyes wide open.

"Huh? W...what?"

"Are you up?" the voice snapped.

Gine's senses slowly returned to her and she remembered where she was. She yawned and stretched while readjusting her scouter.

"Yes, I'm up."

"We're going to be landing soon. Be ready."

"Uh... sure."

Be ready for what? she thought. No one had discussed a plan with her at all. She wasn't even sure how long this mission was supposed to take. A few months was the norm, but seeing as this was a special mission from Lord Freeza, anything was possible. She gulped at the thought of asking her crew the basic details. Last thing she needed was for them to think she was an idiot.

Planet Zweets was in view now and approaching fast. The inside of the pod went from dark to light when they entered the planet's atmosphere and Gine was just able to catch a glimpse of pale blue skies and a sea of pink before the pod made impact with the ground. She heard the landing more than felt it, and waited patiently for the door to open. No turning back now. What would happen, would happen.

The door opened with a hiss of air, letting in a cool refreshing breeze. Gine's legs wobbled as she stepped out and onto the charred and crumbling ground beneath her and coughed when the settling dust got into her lungs. The crater her pod had made was littered with dead trees and animal corpses. One of her teammates was already in the air above her and she lifted herself into the air to join them.

As she flew towards the figure she got her first good look at the new world she was on.

"Wow."

The sea of pink she'd briefly seen was in fact brightly colored trees that went on as far as the eye could see. Not just pink trees, but blues and yellows as well. They stretched over the land, laid out like a blanket. Large mountains with sugary white caps and specks of blues, pinks, and yellows dotted the horizon and reached towards the was even clear shimmering lake that reflected the sky.

"It's lovely," she said breathlessly. Sights like this didn't exist on Planet Vegeta. Not anymore.

"Hey kid!" someone yelled, "Stop gawking and get down here."

Gine followed the voice and was surprised to see the team had already gathered on the ground. She blushed and quickly flew down to join them.

"Sorry, sorry. Just got lost in thought for a moment." she tried to laugh away the moment, but let it die when no one responded. She lowered her head.

Toma cleared his throat. "Well we're here. Whats the plan?" He looked to Bardock

Bardock turned to Celipa "How much time do we have until the next full moon?"

Celipa pulled out a small blue compact device from a pocket in her armor. She opened it and pressed a button inside causing a tiny screen to come alive "About three weeks, give or take a day."

"How long does it last?"

"Three days."

"Whats the average power lever of the people on this planet?"

She smiled. "Just about five hundred or so. Really just a bunch insects, but..." she said cautiously " this planet has a lot of technology, even in the most backwater of places. So I can't say with one hundred percent certainty what we will be facing."

"Hmm. I see." Bardock held his chin in thought. The crew stood around him in attention. Gine held her breath.

After a moment Bardock said "All right, since this planet is so big we'll do our usual divide plan. Me and Toma will go east, Celipa and Pambukin will go west. If either team runs into a place they can't handle then we'll regroup and tackle it all together."

Everyone nodded except Gine. What about her?

"By the first day of the full moon we should have driven everyone into their biggest strongholds. Then we can transform and finish them all at once."

"Eh, sounds good to me." Toma said while stretching. "Really simple."

"Like you." Celipa added "Don't screw around on this, Toma, we have to finish this planet right on time and move on to the next one. Try to work fast for a change."

Toma smiled brightly and saluted her " Yes sir. I mean sir. I mean sir. I mean Celipa.

His laughter was cut short by Celipa's punch to his stomach.

Pambukin stepped forward "Since we have to hurry anyway, why not make it more interesting. Whoever finishes their half of the planet and gets to the leader of this dump first will get first dibs on the next one. Sound good?"

"Hmph." said Bardock

"Agreed." said Celipa

Toma grunted. "Sounds good." He rubbed his belly

Bardock called out "Alright then, let's go."

"WAIT!"

The others stopped in mid-flight and turned around. Their eyes fell on Gine.

She looked at Bardock. "Umm, where do I go?"

The older Saiyans shared looks with one another and then turned back to her.

Toma scratched the back of his head. "Whoa, sorry kid. Forgot about you."

Gine tried not to let her hurt feelings show.

"Well Bardock..." Toma asked, "Where does she go?"

Bardock looked at her impassively. Gine felt chills under his stare. He turned to Celipa.

"Hey can she..."

"No she can't!" Celipa snapped back "Since you two are the strongest it's only fair that you get the handicap. Besides, Bardock, you're the squad leader; use this time to assess her skills. Let's go, Pambukin."

Celipa shot into the sky until she could not be seen anymore. Pambukin hung back for a moment and looked at Gine.

"Aww, too bad." With that he was off.

"Couldn't get out of here fast enough, could she?" Toma said.

Gine sighed and looked to Bardock again. He was still giving her an icy look.

"Well, let's go then."

Bardock took off, followed by Toma and then Gine. The three of them flew in a triangle formation with Bardock on point. Gine stared straight ahead and tried to keep her mind blank. She really didn't trust herself to think right now. She caught movement form the corner of her eye and saw Toma coming in closer until he was right beside her.

He raised his voice in order to be heard over the rushing wind. "We didn't mean to forget you back there. We're just used to it being the four of us and using the same plan. Force of habit and all that."

Gine was surprised. The last thing she expected was an apology. She smiled a little. "It's alright. You guys aren't the first to leave me behind, but you are the first to apologize. So thank you."

"Who's apologizing? I'm just setting the record straight." They both laughed. Gine felt the weight in her heart lift a tiny bit. At least one person on this team wasn't a complete jerk.

Speaking of jerks.

"So, kid, we need to go over some things."

Gine flinched when she saw Bardock had moved beside her as well. His eyes were still icy and distant.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I realize that your power level is really pathetic. I can't stop wondering how you made it this far."

Gine's frown was starting to match his.

"...but let me assure you. Neither me, Toma, or anyone on this team is going to babysit you. Once we get to our first city and get an idea of their strength we'll probably split up. The best way you can make yourself useful is to find a pocket of weaklings and take them out. Maybe even do some long range damage. Other than that, stay the hell out of the way. You understand me?"

She tried to keep her voice neutral. "Yeah, I got it."

Bardock nodded and retook his place in front.

Gine glared at him from behind, her anger bubbling. She was use to being talked down to, that wasn't new. But something about the way he did it rubbed her a particularly bad way. Not just him, the whole team excluding Toma. Even if they were stronger they were all third class, just like her. A group of nobodies. What right did he have to act so superior before even giving her a chance? It just wasn't fair.

The scouters beeped to life. A town settled between three of the mountains came into view. The Saiyans stopped miles above the city. Loud music and laughter floated up to their ears.

Bardock pressed on button on his scouter. "All right, I'm not picking up any real high power levels. We'll start in the center and then fan out."

Toma and Gine nodded. The three Saiyans descended swiftly into the city.

They landed in the town square, where very bright and elaborate decorations hung off of windows and buildings. Behind them, a gorgeous marble fountain, that might have depicted some epic time in the planet's history, was also highly decorated for the day.

Gine took it all in. She wondered what they were celebrating. She hoped that this day had been the greatest celebration they ever had.

The people were just as brightly colored as their decorations. Skin tones of white, red, purple, brown, and even some combinations were everywhere. It was almost blinding. Those who had noticed the Saiyan's arrival were either still stuck in amazement, curious, or had started to move away.

Toma smiled and scratched under his chin."Looks like we crashed a pretty good party. Think there's any cake left?"

Bardock cracked his fingers. There was a hint of a smile on his face. "That's what happens when you are late, Toma. You get the scraps."

Toma's smile grew wider. "Darn. Guess we better clean up then. Don't want to be rude."

Gine stayed silent.

In unison all three Saiyans reached their hands out in the direction of the crowd.

"Now."

What once was a town square enthralled in the dance of celebration, was now a flaming center of smoke and screams. A few buildings cracked and crumbled into the streets. Fire spilled from windows and jumped from rooftop to rooftop. Those who survived the blast trampled one another as they fled. The cries of those not fast enough were buried under the thunder of escaping feet.

Gine felt her heart constrict. Why couldn't this be easy? It should be easy by now she thought. After everything, she still felt like this was wrong. She tried to bury the feeling.

Toma put his hands on his hips.. "Gotta say, I'm not impressed so far."

"After them." Bardock ordered

They flew after the crowd, throwing small balls of ki in all directions. They rounded a corner into another open area where a long line of decorated vehicles blocked the road.

"A parade." Gine said breathlessly.

Everything had stopped as the mob of panicked people came rushing through. The fires had caught up with them and were spreading everywhere. The people in the parade started to flee as their floats caught fire. Their feet didn't even touch the ground before another ball of ki turned them into dust.

"Kid." Bardock called, "Knock out that big one."

Gine followed his gaze to the biggest float in the parade. It had the unmistakable form of a grand castle. Finely dressed people stood, huddled together at the top of the tower. As Gine got closer she saw a woman with skin as white as milk and very large hair, hunkered down on the floor with her arms around two children.

When her shadow stretched over them, the woman looked up. Their eyes met, and Gine was certain she saw tears.

"I'm sorry." She blew the rest of the street away

The terror lasted for hours. They herded the people until they were all cornered in one part of the city. With one or two blasts each, they were no more. The Saiyans landed on top of the smokey remains of a skyscraper. From there they could see the rest of the city. Both their handiwork and the parts untouched.

Bardock spoke loudly over the noise "This is where we split up. I'll take the north."

"Then I'll take the south." Toma said

"And you—" Bardock pointed at Gine "—like we discussed earlier. Find whatever weaklings and stragglers you can and take care of them. Be quick about it too. We'll meet up outside the city when we are done."

"Yes sir."

"Move out!"

The three of them separated to finish their work.


	5. Chapter 5

Two weeks passed. It was well known that Freeza demanded thorough work, so they could not afford to miss one single spot. Due to the planet's massive size and many continents to traverse, progress was steady, but slow going. It slowed down even more once the element of surprise had gone and the people started to retaliate.

Celipa had been correct on her report of the technology of the planet. Everywhere they went the teams were met with impressive war machines. At one point the two teams had to regroup to take down a heavily armed major city. Even with the five of them it took a good bit of time and effort to clear the place completely.

Afterwards they separated again into the same teams as before and picked up where they left off. For the past few days things had been going smoothly. The resistance seemed to have fizzled out and they were moving at decent pace.

For Gine it was a very welcome change. With only a few days left before the full moon the mission would be over soon. So far she had managed to get through everything with out any major screw ups. Bardock would point her in a direction and she would go without complaint. It was an arrangement that was working in her favor.

Now she stood outside of a store that had somehow survived the attacks. Being mindful of the shattered glass and debris, Gine shifted her gear bag over her shoulder and walked into the remains of the shop. Rays of light filtered through cracks in the roof and onto the dirty floor, breaking the gloom. Gine made note of the roof and decided not to stay long. She made her way towards a row of shelves that had toppled over each other like dominos. The racks contents were scattered on the floor and covered in dirt. Gine crouched down and picked up the two items closest to her.

Gine wasn't sure what type of shop this had been. In one hand she held a very plain looking doll, and in the other a copper pan. She picked up another item that resembled her scouter—the difference being it was bulkier and a different color.

Looking at the object brought back memories. Gine could remember seeing similar things used by the planet's inhabitants in combat. She was not at certain what they did, but she was certain they added to the chaos of their time here.

She blew the dust off it and turned it this way and that. "Bok would love trying to figure out what this is. Maybe I can find more."

"Peek-a-boo I see you!"

Gine jumped at the sudden noise. She looked over her shoulder to see Toma leaning against the doorway, scouter in hand.

"You surprised me."

"Twas the point, ha ha. So, what are you up too?" He walked over to her, glass crunching under his boots.

"Just looking at a few things."

"Uh oh, not stealing from Lord Freeza I hope." Toma tsk-tsked and wagged his finger.

"I would hope Lord Freeza wouldn't mind us taking a few children's toys. At least, I think they're children's toys."

Toma shrugged. "You never know. He doesn't come across as the sharing type. I bet he has a whole room dedicated to toys from each planet. Even cute fuzzy little teddy bears. All just so other people can never have them."

They both laughed at the thought. It was just absurd enough to be believable.

When they stopped laughing Gine asked, "So what are you doing here? Are you done already?"

"Yeah, the scouter hasn't picked up any readings for over an hour. Figured I'd come by and see if you needed any help. Looks like you're finished as well, though."

Gine lowered her eyes to the ground. "Yeah, I haven't seen anybody for a long time either."

"Guess we better go find Bardock, then"

On cue, Toma's scouter beeped. He placed it back on against his ear. "Toma here."

"The hell are you guys doing?"

"Having a pleasant conversation. You should try it sometime."

"I've still got some stragglers on my end. You and the kid do one more sweep and then start heading my way. Bardock out."

Gine bristled at the word kid. "Really good at barking out orders, isn't he?"

Toma chuckled. "Him and Freeza should give each other tips."

That got another laugh out of her. She still could hardly believe how easy it was to talk to Toma so openly. He was, without a doubt, the most easy going Saiyan she had ever met. He had been a real comfort these past two weeks and she was grateful.

"Well, let's get going." He offered her his hand

Gine stuffed the least complicated looking toys into her bag and pulled it closed. She lifted herself up with Toma's help and the two of them walked out of the shop.

It was night time, but the streets glowed eerily from the stray fires that burned freely. Busted pipes shot geysers of water into the air, which rained back down and created large puddles in the street. Bloated and charred bodies hung from trees and out of windows in awkward angles. Many of them were covered with birds and insects that scattered at the smallest disturbance. Gine tried not to look at any of it.

"Hey, have you noticed anything odd lately?"

Gine stared at Toma blankly. ""Odd"? How do you mean?"

"Odd how quiet things have been for the past couple of days. Like everyone has just given up. This is almost a little too easy now."

Gine shrugged. "Maybe we just..."

There was a click. Instinctively both of them rolled and took cover behind pieces of building. Bullets flew past them like hornets. Both of them got down to the ground, backs to the wall. When the bullets stopped Gine stayed low to the ground while Toma carefully came to his full height. He put his finger to his lips to signal silence and carefully peered around the stone block.

"Do you see anything Toma?"

"No."

"How did they get so close without our scouters sensing them?"

"I don't know, but if bullets are the best they got, then we will probably be OK. Stay alert, though."

"Right."

As carefully as Toma had, Gine looked around her cover out into the streets of the city. Nothing seemed amiss. Where had that attack even come from?"

"LOOK OUT!"

Gine dropped down to her belly and covered her head. She heard a boom and smelled smoke. Small hard pieces of something fell beside her and she looked up. Toma stood above her with his arm outstretched;In his large hand was the head of Gine's attacker.

"Figured as much," Toma sighed.

He easily closed his hand around the attacker's head crushing it completely. Instead of blood and bone there was electric sparks and wires. Without it's head, the body dropped to the ground with a loud clang. Gine was stunned at the sight of it. She inched closer to the body and reached out a shaky hand. It was hard and cold to the touch. Tiny blinking lights covered its body from the neck on down.

Gine brought her hand back. "A... a robot?" This was her first time seeing one up close.

Toma nodded and shook his hand to rid it of metal. "Not surprising, just more of the same. These people really need to start getting more creative." Toma made a big show of cracking his knuckles and loosening up his body. "Nothing we can't handle at this point, even you. No offense"

"None taken." Placing her bag on the ground, Gine got to her feet and stood tall. "So if that's the case, there's no need to hide. Let's get rid of them quick."

Toma grinned and winked at her "Sounds like a really good plan."

She blushed.

Slowly they stepped out into the open. The wind blew, kicking up sand and trash. There was no other movement.

Gine was feeling bold. "I guess they are really good at hiding. Should we flush them out?"

"Ladies first."

With that, Gine reached inside herself and gathered energy to the palm of her hand. When she felt it was enough she pointed straight ahead and let her ki fly. It released with an explosion, and the fight began.

The robots came from all sides and by the hundreds. Gine and Toma stood back to back, ready for them. Bullets and other projectiles flew at the Saiyans with great speed, but both of them dodged them or caught them with their bare hands. The robots that got close enough threw swift, powerful punches and kicks that set fire to the air. The Saiyans, in turn, would catch each arm and leg and rip it right off.

Gine thought how right Toma had been, this was easy. She liked the feeling of pride and determination that flowed into her heart as she ripped another robotic leg off and watched the sparks fly. For the first time in a while she was actually feeling like a Saiyan.

Gine lost track of time and the world around her until it was just her and Toma in the middle of a sea of metal parts. To her it was glorious sight.

"Well, that was something I guess. You alright, kid?"

"Yeah, just a bit out of breath."

Both of their scouters beeped. "This is Bardock. Toma come in."

"Toma here."

"Where the hell are you guys? What happened?"

"Eh, ran into a bunch of toys someone forgot to put away. Had to do a little cleaning up, but other than that, all good."

"The kid still alive?"

Gine growled. "Stop calling me a kid!"

Toma laughed. "That answer your question? We're all done here, so we'll meet you..."

A pink beam of light fell from the sky and covered both of them. Their bodies froze in place. All they could move were their eyes.

"Toma what's happening? TOMA! GINE!"

The light grew more brilliant until neither could see each other. Then there was a loud boom.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter, and the rest of this story is dedicated to the memory of fanfiction writer and my first beta reader FallenAngel1235. It has been posted on her profile that she tragically passed away due to an accident. You can see most oh her contributions to the story in chapters 1-4 and then again in 6. So please if you enjoy this story at all visit her profile and give her stories a look over. Best wishes to her family.

It was the sensation of falling that startled Gine awake as the soft mound of earth beneath her crumbled away. Reaching for nothingness, she was sent rolling down a mountain of dirt, rock, and broken glass and letting out cries of agony as her skin was repeatedly gashed by the jagged edges of sharp rock. Frantically she threw out her arms and legs. Reaching. Grabbing. Lunging for the sides of the never ending mound. Praying to slow herself down, but it was no use…

Everything around Gine seemed to slow down. The air raced around her as she reached her final descent. Gine's adventure finally ended when her body slammed hard against a solid object at the bottom of the hill. The wind was knocked out of her. Gasping for air, her eyes blurry and her head spinning, she moaned in pain.

Fire was shooting through her body and kept her immobilized on the ground. In the abyss… her mind was cloudy. What happened? Where was she? Why did everything hurt so much? Was she even still alive? All she could remember was fighting the robots, talking to Bardock, and then her and Toma being caught in that light.

Toma! Where was he? she thought. Did he survive? She had to find him.

The world Gine saw when she opened her eyes was a blurry one. She reached out for something to pull herself up with and shuddered at the cold metal object at the end of her finger tips. Pulling herself up, inch by inch, she started to get to her feet and stumbled, feeling a shiver as warm blood trickled down her skin. Each little movement was agony. A mixture of extreme fatigue, soreness, and red hot pins and needles. She could not stop her cries of pain. With her vision slowly returning, she squinted at what she was standing against. It was a box that came up to her waist and was filled with worn looking tools, metal helmets, and glowing stones.

Gine studied the contents of the box for a moment. "Is this a mine cart? I fell into a mine?"

Glancing around the room, she shook her head. The room she was trapped in was a very large cavern with a roof so high Gine could barely make it out. Lanterns and lamp posts glowed brightly to chase away the darkness, leaving only quivering shadows in its wake. Candy colored stalagmites grew out of the ground like plants and added their own shimmering light to the room.

For the second time since coming to this planet Gine was struck by its beauty. The lights from the crystals made her feel comforted and relaxed. The echoes of a splash came to her ears suddenly. It came from somewhere down the railway tracks, around a corner. She peered hard at the area, but saw no movement.

"Toma?" she called, but there was no answer.

"Toma!" she called even louder, and still no answer.

Her legs felt like jelly, their energy drained. Every motion was a fight within itself. A dance she had grown accustomed to. If she didn't start moving now, she would be back on the ground for sure. There was no time to waste.

Still holding on to the cart, she swallowed the pain and began to inch her way forward. Gine reached out to the nearest crystal stalagmite to help her stand. It pulsated and vibrated under her touch.

"Odd," Gine commented. Carefully, she reached out for another one.

Gine kept her eyes and ears open as she moved with planned steps along the tracks. Every now and then she would call Toma's name, but was met with silence each time. Her trail of stalagmites ran out just as the corner turned. She made a few attempts to stand on her own, but failed each time. This was crazy she thought. It was like her energy was draining out of her with each step. The pain wasn't going away either. Whatever that attack had been, its continuing effects were madding.

Gine eyed the wall on the other side of the tracks and planned her next move. Holding on tight to her last crystal support with one hand she leaned her body outward towards the wall.

"One, two, three."

With all the strength she could muster, she launched herself to the wall, arms reaching out. Her foot caught on the rails and she fell face down on the ground.

"Ow..." Gine groaned, shaking her head. She was so happy no one had been there to see that.

Her knee had gotten scrapped on the rails, skin peeling backwards as a trail of warm blood trickled down her shin. Hissing, she gripped the wound, to try and lessen the pain. Right next to her was a hanging lantern and she could see her filthy cut skin and ripped clothes. Even her armor was in pretty bad shape. She sighed and continued onward down the narrow tunnel.

Light. Light at the end of the tunnel.

She limped toward it as fast as her body would allow.

The air was becoming cold and damp. Running water echoed off the walls now, drawing her closer to its shivering embrace. Gine couldn't remember the last time she had a drink of water. The inside of her mouth felt so dry she could cough up sand for weeks.

The room she stepped in was way smaller than the previous one and had less light. In the center was a spring of crystal blue water being fed by a small waterfall. Large stepping stones made a zig-zagging path from one side of the pool to the other.

When Gine saw the pool, she actually fell to her knees and crawled over to the water's edge. Dunking her head into the ice cold spring she took four desperate large gulps. She pulled her head back to take a deep breath, and then went back down for more. She couldn't have imagined water in heaven tasting any better.

Another splash caught her attention and she glanced up. She was just in time to see a rock fall from the ceiling into the pool. This caused her heart to sink tremendously.

"So, that's it, it was just some falling rocks. Oh Toma."

The young woman made no attempt to get back on her feet, and the let the exhaustion she had been fighting take over. She stared listlessly at her reflection in the pool. What was she going to do now? If Toma wasn't here, where was he? How was she going to find him? How was she going to contact Bardock and the others? Most of all how was she going to get out of here? She felt dizzy and sick with worry.

There was movement out of the corner of her eye. It seemed like another rock had fallen into the pool. This one was oddly shaped though. Instead of gray this one was a light blue and seemed to have a pony tail.

"TOMA!"

Forgetting herself, Gine dashed into the pool as fast as she could. The shock from the freezing cold water along with the pain of moving disoriented her.

"So cold. Toma hold on."

The water came to just below her chest and her feet were barely able to graze the bottom. She half-waded half-swam to Toma, keeping him in her sights. Luckily he was not floating away fast, but unluckily and to Gine's horror he was face down in the water. She pushed herself to move faster and reached out to him.

"Toma! Toma!"

She reached him and immediately raised his head above the water. His eyes were closed, mouth hung open and his skin was pale.

"Toma. Toma it's me, Gine. Wake up."

The scared woman gave him a few sharp taps to his face to try and wake him to no avail. To keep his head above the water, she had turned his whole body around onto his back. This caused his lower body to start sinking and she grabbed on tight to his neck, careful not to strangle him. She knew she could not get him to the shore on her own. With his size and her own injuries, she would lose him before even making it to the shallows. There had to be another way….

The idea popped in like a lightning bolt, her adrenaline pumping. In the corner of her eye, Gine could see the stepping stones. They were just big enough to hold him. As fast as she could, she pulled Toma to nearest one. Her muscles ached with every swipe at the water. Reaching for the stone, she hoisted him up with every piece of energy she had. His upper body took up most of the space and forced Gine back into the water.

Cautiously, Gine got as close to his head as she could. She leaned in closer to his mouth and listened for breathing. There was none at all.

She began to panic. "No no no no. Wake up, please wake up."

More sharp slaps to the face did nothing and she grew even more afraid. Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm herself and thought back to her training days to find a solution. She remembered how they covered drowning and resuscitation. The problem is there was no room for her to get beside him to perform the necessary steps. Sighing she figured she would just have to improvise.

Using what little space there was she lifted herself onto the stone. There was barely enough room for her to stand on her toes. Slowly she placed a leg on either side of Toma's waist and lowered herself down to sit on his hips. Taking a deep breath, she leaned forward to put both hands dead center on his chest. Forcefully she began to pump.

"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6..." Gine counted and pumped his heart in a steady and constant rhythm all the way up to thirty. Then as best she could she scooted up his body to get closer to his lips. She tipped his head back, covered his nose and breathed into his mouth. He didn't move. Gine was getting fearful again, and wondered if she had done it right

"Come on, please wake up."

Once again she pumped his heart and breathed into his mouth twice. On the second breath… he coughed.

"Toma, you're ali—"

Gine was sent into the drink when Toma turned onto his side to cough and hack out the water in his body. She swam behind him to pat his back in assistance. The howl of pain he let out was so great it shook the ceiling and caused rocks to fall around them. Gine was scared, and took her hand away fast.

The man continued to violently cough out water, moaning in excruciating agony. Gine was at a complete loss of what to do. There was no way she could help him without causing more discomfort. The memory of her own pain when she awoke was still very fresh in her mind. In the end all she could do was watch. She climbed up onto the nearest stone and sat crisscrossed.

Fretfully, she watched Toma lay down on his back after he finally stopped coughing. His whole body shaking. He was gasping for the sweet essence of air.

Gine's voice was shaky and low, "Toma?"

Slowly, the young man opened his eyes. It was at this moment that Gine realized he was wearing his scouter. Where had her own gone?

"I'm alive… Kid? What? Huh? What…?" He cried out again when he was hit by another wave of pain and his body began to spasm.

Gine reached out to touch him, but thought better of it. Instead she spoke gently and calmly. "Try not to move. It only gets worse when you move."

"You don't say," Toma choked out.

Gine blinked back tears. She was relieved that he was alive. Almost thankful…

"Sorry for stating the obvious. Just trying to help."

Toma raised his hand, waving it in dismissal. His voice was raspy and tired, "Forget about it. Where are we?"

"In a mine, I think..."

"A... mine?" Gine nodded slowly, eyes staring downwards. Toma groaned. "...Great"

"But it is okay. You still have your scouter on. So we can still call for help."

"I do?" It was Toma's turn to finally acknowledge the device on his own face, "Well fancy that."

A few minutes passed with neither of them doing or saying anything. Toma murmured, "I… uh, think you are going to have to do it. Literally my everything hurts right now."

Gine sighed. "Yeah, sorry…."

She jumped back into the water to swim next to Toma. Gently, she removed the scouter from his ear to place it on her own. She pressed a button. "This is Gine of squad 5281 on planet Zweets. I am in need of emergency assistance, man down."

It was as silent as the dead of night. She tried again, her voice desperate, "This is Gine of squad 5281 on planet Zweets, requesting assistance, man down."

Toma looked up at her puzzled. "What's wrong?"

"I'm not getting anything."

"Nothing?"

"Not even static."

Toma looked at her blankly. Gine took the device off her face and inspected it for damage. "I don't understand it. They should be able to hear us no matter where we are. The signal can reach across space for goodness sake."

"Unless they blocked the signal."

Gine looked at Toma in surprise. He was staring up at the ceiling in thought.

"Blocked the signal?" she said.

"Yeah. I think and it really hurts to think right now mind you… that the robots attacking us were a set up."

His voice was still very feeble, Gine had to lean in closer to hear him. Toma continued, "The robots were probably a distraction to keep us in one place while they charged up that weapon or whatever it was that hit us."

"So what does that have to do with our scouters?" Gine asked

"I'm saying that this was all planned kid. In the off chance that we did survive that blast they wouldn't want us to warn the others or call for help. Basic battle strategy, cut off communications."

Gine was in awe. "That makes perfect sense. So do you think Bardock and the others are being attacked as well?"

"Would not surprise me. If not now, then soon. Who knows how long it takes to charge that thing up."

Gine's shoulders slumped, "So now what do we do?"

Toma lifted himself up on his elbows, "Well let's assess our situation. We are deep underground, soaking wet, in a butt load of pain and can't call for help. Anything I miss?"

At that moment both of their stomachs growled.

Gine cried, "You just had to ask."

Toma groaned and laid on his back again.

Gine could see that he was shivering badly. A paleness to his features were creeping inwards, taking over his once tanned body "We have to get you out of the water and warmed up. You'll freeze to death."

Through chattering teeth, Toma chuckled, "Sounds good. Problem is now I'm a little too weak to move. You know, after I almost died."

Gine knew she was no better off. Her own injuries had yet to fully heal and what little energy she had was spent rescuing Toma. She could not hope to carry him, which may have been difficult even at full strength for her. There had to be something she could do . If only she had her gear bag.

"MY BAG!" she shouted.

Toma looked at her oddly, "Your what?"

"My bag. I had it with me just before we were attacked. It had medical supplies in it, we could use them."

Hope was in Toma's voice, "Did it have food?"

"Well no, but I did have soldier pills. It will give us some energy at least."

Toma scrunched his nose up in disgust. "Gross."

"What choice do we have?"

"Good point. So where is your bag?"

Gine shrugged. "I don't know."

The male Saiyan's voice rose, "You don't know? How then...why even bring it up?"

This was first time Toma had ever sounded the least bit angry with her and it shocked her. She quickly added "because we still have your scouter."

Toma tilted his head to the side and shrugged. "I don't follow."

"My bag has a special pulsating device in it. When it hasn't been moved for a while it gives off a signal that can be picked up by scouters. Then all I have to do is follow it."

Toma's jaw dropped. "Well that's pretty damn useful. When did they start issuing those out? I want one where's mine?"

Gine put the scouter back on, "They aren't standard issue. My grandpapa got it for me."

"Your grand...pa...pa?"

Gine got to her feet and started to leave, "I'll explain later, right now I have to go find it. I'll bring it right back."

Toma's chuckle stopped Gine right in her tracks, "Yeah kid, you'll bring it back. If it fell down here with you. If it's in a place you can reach. If its contents haven't been tossed out everywhere and if it wasn't just flat out destroyed. That's a lot of ifs kid"

Gine frowned. "What's with the pessimistic attitude all of a sudden?"

He chuckled again, "Look I appreciate the help, but don't forget I'm a Saiyan. It would be more than a little embarrassing to be helped by someone way weaker than me. No offense."

Gine crossed her arms and looked at Toma hard.

He went on, "Besides I can't risk you getting hurt under my watch. Bardock will have my head."

Turning her lip upwards, she raised an eyebrow, "Why?"

Toma grinned, shaking his head. "Me and Bardock go way, way back. We grew up together. Every time we are on the same team and he is the squad leader, I'm second in command. So whenever something happens to a teammate under my watch, boy oh boy does he let me have it. Says 'I should know better.' Not only does it make him look bad, but he doesn't really like it when a teammate gets hurt you know," Looking at her hard, Toma cocked his head side wards, "So in short I'd rather not get lectured when he finds us."

Gine nodded. Turning her back she let her mind wander for a moment. Bardock actually caring? Really? The man came across as stone-cold and arrogant as any Saiyan she had ever met. Toma would know him a lot better than she did of course, but still, the thought of him worrying about his comrades sounded really alien to her. Though to be fair they hadn't had a whole lot of interaction since she joined and the mission began. She wondered if he still remembered their first disastrous meeting. She hoped not.

On top of that, why did Toma have so much faith in him? He sounded so sure that Bardock would find them. She found it both admirable and odd.

For the time being though, she was here, and she knew she had to do something. She spoke firmly to him, "Toma you are hurt and freezing. I can't just stand here and do nothing. What kind of comrade would I be then?"

Toma sighed, "Again thanks for the concern, but I got this. Just give me a few minutes, and I'll be alright."

Leaning back, Toma collapsed in agony. His body writhing with a pain stronger than any she had probably experienced. Gine could see the agony etched in his features. He was a proud man. A military officer. Though with those injuries…. Sighing, she put out her hand.

"I'm a Saiyan too, so have a little more faith in me. I may not be as strong as you, but at least I have a strategy. I can do this."

He was staring at her again, but this time it was different. Like he was seeing her and yet wasn't. It was bit unnerving.

"What?" she asked.

He blinked. "Nothing. It's just you made me think of Bardock just now."

"I did?"

"Yeah. He said something similar years ago. It was the first time we ever fought together. The first time we ever met, back when we were kids. It was almost like we rehearsed the whole fight. I remembered it clear as day just now."

He smiled very peacefully, eyes drifting for a moment. Gine looked almost in sadness at the older man, at the peace she had never felt.

He waved his hand in the air. "Alright, alright. I'll take that as a sign. Do whatever it is you want to do not like I can stop you anyway," He grimaced, "I'm not looking forward to those soldier pills though."

Gine got back up to her feet, "Me either, but it will give you the strength to move at least. Better than nothing."

"I guess. Just watch what you are doing out there. Also keep trying to reach someone with the scouter we might get lucky."

"Right. Wish me luck."

"Good luck. Oh and one question before you go."

"Yeah?"

"When you were bringing me back to life just now. Were you… sitting on top of me? Like... riding me?"

It took a moment for Gine to understand what he was talking about, but as soon as she did her face went red. She yelled and stuttered "H.. hey it's not like that. I didn't have any room; you took up all the space. I had to pump your chest and give you breath somehow."

Toma was still very calm, "Okay, okay, I understand. One more question though."

"What?"

"Was I good ride?"

"TOMA!" She slapped him on his arm with everything she had. His howls of laughter and pain shook the room, tears in his eyes. Wasting no more time, Gine made her way to the entrance of the pool, opting to walk instead of swim. From the entrance she looked at Toma as he was still laughing at her, wiping away his tears.

Lowering her head, she closed her eyes and prayed for their safe return.


	7. Chapter 7

Luck was with Gine that day. The moment her scouter beeped to life she picked up two power readings. One high one that was obviously Toma's and another very very small one coming from the room she had woken up in.

"Perfect," she started to move briskly down the tunnel while still pacing herself. Her condition still wasn't good, but it was better than before. Then her scouter made another sound that made her slide to a halt.

"Zzz … To ... ma ... Gine ... zzz"

A lump caught in her throat. It was Bardock's voice, there was no mistaking it. She yelled into the scouter, "Bardock! Bardock it's Gine! Can you hear me?"

"zzz ... Gi … zzz"

"Bardock! Bardock!"

The scouter crackled static for a moment and then went dead silent again. For a few tense moments all Gine could do was stand there in something akin to shock. She tried three times to get some kind of signal, but got nothing. Sighing she leaned against the wall, feeling downhearted.

"Oh Bardock, please be alright."

At that moment the tunnel started to shake and sent Gine to her knees She braced herself against the wall as best she could and waited fearfully for the rumbling to stop. What seemed like forever was only a few moments, and as suddenly as it had started the quake ended.

When she was sure it was safe, Gine slowly got to her feet again. Even though the cave had stopped shaking her body had not. First she'd heard Bardock's voice and now this. She wasn't sure how much more her poor nerves could take. Thoughts of resting left her when she she heard a splash coming from the pool room. Toma was in there waiting for her to come back with that bag. She did not have time to just stand there. With those thoughts she took a deep breath and started moving again.

The signal was coming from the same mountain of soil that Gine had rolled down earlier. Now that she was able to get a better look at it, she could see that it was the remains of one of the cavern walls. The attack must have collapsed it. She wondered if any other part of the mine had been destroyed . They would find out sooner or later.

Walking further in, she came across the same mine cart as before with the tools still in it. She leaned in and picked through them carefully. She found shovels, pickaxes, hammers, and flashlights; all seemed to be in good condition. She picked up a shovel and tested its weight.

"This will be useful I'm sure."

The scouter led her up a steep side of the mountain. The soil was so soft Gine's feet sank in almost all the way up to her knees. Every time she pulled herself back out, another stinging cut was added to her leg. Through it all she never lost her calm and kept climbing.

When Gine finally made it to the right spot she had no energy left to start digging right away despite how much she wanted to. Exhausted, she fell back into the soft dirt and relaxed. The thought of how absolutely filthy she must be right now made her think of home and a nice hot shower or bath waiting for her. It was so clear in her head she could practically feel the steam in the air and hot water all over her body. Maybe even with some of those nice bubbles that made everything smell really nice. She'd had so much fun popping those when she was little; it was her favorite part of taking a bath.

With a content smile on her face Gine reached out to pop a bubble and saw her dirt covered and bloody hand. Her eyes went wide and she sat straight up. All at once the fantasy broke, and Gine remembered that she was on a mission with a comrade that needed her help right now. She got to her feet, picked up the shovel, and started to dig.

The job proved a little more difficult than she had hoped. The scouter had indicated that her bag was five feet directly below her, but her way down was hindered by sizable rocks that she had to move, and pointy sharp objects that stuck out of the dirt like claws. The mine started to shake again, and Gine jumped out of the hole. She let out a frustrated sigh when some of the dirt that she had dug out fell back in., erasing a little of her progress. When the shaking stopped, she got back into the hovel and started digging again more vigorously. Dripping sweat, she kept going until her shovel hit something strange. It was neither hard as a rock or soft as the dirt. She got down to her knees and finished digging with her bare hands, and there it was it was. Filthy and ripped wide open, but there was her very own bag.

The feeling of elation and relief was almost too overwhelming for Gine to handle. Desperately, she grabbed the bag to pull it free of the ground and almost tore it completely apart. With it free, she rummaged inside and was happy to see most of her belongings were still there. Cracked and crushed, yes, but still there. She found the bottle of soldier pills buried deep within the bag. Along with a pink preservation box she didn't remember packing.

"Huh, what is this?" She pulled out both the bottle and the box. With quivering hands she opened the bottle and popped a small round pill into her mouth. It took every ounce of willpower she had not to spit and gag it right back out. The pill was made up off some of the most putrid and gross tasting things on Planet Vegeta, maybe even the universe. It was never a pleasant experience to eat it, and some would even prefer near death to it. Still, it was of great use, and even now Gine could feel her strength coming back to her slowly.

She took a minute to let the nausea pass and for her empty stomach to settle. When all seemed a go, she opened the pink preservation box. Inside was what had to be one of the most delicious looking sandwiches Gine had ever seen. Stacked high with all sorts of different meats, cheese, and vegetables on top of toasted bread Gine couldn't stop herself from drooling onto her armor.

"I can't believe it. They must have hidden this just before I left. Thymus. Rosemary. Thank you."

It took herculean restraint, to tear the sandwich in half, to give some to Toma. The other half she devoured in three bites and was in another world of bliss. It felt so good to have something in her stomach after so long, and it even lessened the taste of the solider pills. All things seemed good with the world right now.

After licking her dirty fingers, Gine tossed the bag up and out of the hole with her following right behind it. She grabbed the bag in both arms and slid down the mound to the solid ground. As soon as her feet touched the floor she jogged her way back to the pool room, her mind set on one goal.

She called out as she entered, "Toma. I found it! I found it!"

Toma jerked his head up and looked around and she figured he must have been asleep. Gine grabbed the bottle of soldier pills and let the bag fall to the floor. Using the stones again, she crossed over to the man.

"Toma."

He looked at her with groggy somewhat bloodshot eyes and yawned. "Hey you're back."

"I can not believe you fell asleep. Do you have any idea how dangerous that is when you are freezing?"

Toma yawned again. "From your tone I guess it's very bad."

"Did you even feel the quakes?"

"Slept through it I guess. Did you find your bag?"

"Yeah." She opened the bottle to take out a pill. "Quick eat it."

Toma groaned. "Ugh, I can smell it. Like everything rotten that has ever existed."

"Just open your mouth."

He groaned again but complied. Gine dropped the pill into his mouth and watched closely as he chewed and swallowed. To his credit, he handled it well.

"Never stops being awful," he said.

Gine smiled. "You should be able to move in a few minutes. The good news is I found a sandwich in my bag. You can get the taste out of your mouth with that."

"WHAT? FOOD!" he yelled. "I thought you said you didn't have any."

"I didn't know."

"Well forget waiting, let's move."

With lots of grunting and moaning, Toma laboriously got up onto two very shaky legs. Gine got under one arm to be his support, and the two of them walked in tandem to the shore. They had to take their time in order to avoid slipping on the stones. The further they walked the more Toma leaned on Gine's much smaller body, nearly bringing them both down. As soon as they reached land they collapsed to their knees.

Toma was breathing hard and rolled onto his back. He said in between breaths, "Food. Now. Please."

"We have to get you warmed up first. Hold on." Gine crawled over to her bag to search through it again. She pulled out the sandwich box, a canteen, and a palm sized ball with a slotted metal bottom half and shiny ebony top half.

Toma stared at it. "What's that?"

"It's called a fireball. Watch." Gine brought the ball closer to her lips and blew into the bottom half as if blowing a kiss. The top half of the orb started to glow a vibrant shade of orange. The longer she blew into it the brighter it became.

She stopped when the small sphere grew brightly enough to illuminate their entire half of the room. "That should do it. Now all I have to do is place it like so and ..."

When Gine put the fireball between herself and Toma it sat in place, completely motionless. Then slowly it started to lift up into the air until it was a good few inches off the ground. The warmth that came off it was heavenly and relaxed both Saiyans.

Toma was spellbound at what he just saw. "Just where did you get that kid? I've never seen anything like that before."

Gine laughed nervously and rubbed the back of her head. "The same place I got my bag. My grandpapa sent it to me." She sighed contently and continued. "He travels a lot for business, so whenever he finds something that might be useful he sends it to me. To help me get through missions."

Toma chuckled a little. "You don't say. Well you are one lucky kid, kid. Wish my family had hook-ups like that."

Gine smiled and shrugged. She had never given the matter much thought. Sending her things was something her grandfather had always done. Ever since she had come to live with him back when she was a child. He was always looking out for her.

Toma's stomach rumbled loudly. "So can I have my food now?"

"Oh, right."

Toma rolled onto his side to take the sandwich from Gine. As he began to eat she said, "Hey guess what. I heard Bardock."

His mouth was completely full. "Oh?"

"Yeah. I don't think he heard me because there was still a lot of interference, but it seems like he is looking for us."

"No surprise. He's probably been looking for us since that last transmission. All the more reason for us to start moving so we can meet him somewhere." He finished off his sandwich and let a loud burp. He patted his stomach in satisfaction "Ah, damn that was good. You've got some nice cooking skills"

Gine looked away and mumbled, "Ah, well, it wasn't me who made it."

"Huh?"

"Nothing." She cleared her throat and said, "Toma may I ask you a question?"

He looked puzzled. "Um, sure."

"Why is it you have so much faith in Bardock? You didn't seem at all surprised when I told you he was trying to contact us."

"Well I told you earlier me and him go way way back. He always comes through for his comrades no matter what."

"I just find that so hard to believe. Not that I'm calling you a liar, but in every team I have ever been in it's always every man for himself when things get bad. Comradery only goes so far."

When he didn't respond, Gine thought she may have crossed a line. He was second in command after all and he obviously thought very highly of Bardock. Plus she was new and was in no position to question him or anybody. Her fears seemed to unfounded though when he smiled softly at her.

He spoke gently. "Yeah a lot of Saiyans are like that, so I can't blame you for thinking that way. Believe me when I say this though, he's not like that at all. Anytime I've needed him, he's had my back and I've had his. He'll find us, you can count on it. I know because he's my best friend."

The sincerity and pure faith in his words touched Gine's heart and made her feel warmer than the fireball. Never before had she seen someone with so much faith in their comrades. Not just a comrade, not even just a friend. It was clear that Toma saw Bardock as pure family.

Discreetly, Gine wiped some tears away. "Well Toma, since you have so much faith in him. I will too."

Toma nodded and rested on his back. Gine watched him through the glow of the fireball. He looked so at peace despite the situation they were in. It made her feel at peace as well, and bold.

"Toma, may I ask you another question?"

"Go ahead."

"Um, why have you been so nice to me? Does my weakness not bother you like everyone else?"

Toma moved into a sitting position with his legs crossed. A sign that his strength was returning. He scratched the back of his head "Hmm. I never really stopped to think about. Don't mind the others though. Bardock's always been a big grump and Panbukin likes to joke around. As for Celipa, well she's really steadfast in her ways. If everything doesn't go exactly to plan she tends to get a bit irritable. She even gave Panbukin a rough time, and he's way stronger than you. No offense."

"Right, but why you? Surly you can think of one reason."

Gine wasn't completely sure what answer she was hoping to hear, but her heart got tighter in her chest and her face grew a little redder.

Toma stroked his chin. "Well if I really had to pick a reason I'd probably say it was because ..."

She leaned in. "Yes."

"... Because you remind me so much of one of my little sisters."

The young woman let out the breath she had been holding and sat back down. She let her head hang low and stared at the ground. "I see."

"Her name is Ebet. She's lower third class like you, in fact she's the only one in the family who is. I guess I just feel like if I don't want her to have a hard time, I shouldn't give anyone else a hard time, you know."

Gine hardly heard a word he said. His sister, she thought. Of course that's why he's being so nice. What was I thinking? What other reason could it be? Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Then Toma's other words echoed in her mind. "Wait a second?" she said, "One of your little sisters? How many siblings do you have?"

"Oh, well what day is it?"

His knowing smile showed he was playing with her again. Gine shrugged. "I don't know, Tuesday?"

"OK then. Not counting me, thirteen."

Far into the future Gine would forever wonder how she did not faint dead away after he said that. Her mind was blown.

"... Huh?"

Toma laughed and howled so hard he almost fell on his back again.

"I'm sorry. It just never gets old seeing people's reaction to that when I tell them. It's priceless. Oh, and to answer your next question, yes we all come from the same mom and dad. They've been together for over forty years."

There were simply no words for Gine to say. All she could do was stare at him dumbstruck. The average Saiyan female would typically birth and raise two children to adulthood. Maybe three every so often. To think that fourteen children were born to one Saiyan woman was simply mind boggling. How did she feed and clothe them all? Was it possible to have a house big enough for all of them? On top of all that, they shared the same father. So that meant ...

"Your parents are a forever pair?"

"Yup"

"Amazing. I thought only the royals did that. Wow that's unbelievable Toma. To have such a big family and to know each of your siblings. Just wow."

Toma shrugged. "Eh, don't get to excited about it. Having eight sisters and six brothers isn't all sunshine and candy."

Something didn't sound right, and Gine did the math in her head. "Wait, eight and six? Counting you that comes to fifteen. I thought you only had thirteen siblings."

Toma gave her the biggest toothiest grin ever. "Hehe so you noticed. Well remember when I said Bardock and I went way way back? I really meant way way back."

She could not believe it. "No."

"The first fight we ever had was when I saved him from some punks. After that were were always together. So one thing led to another, and eventually my parents took him in. Cripes, he's gonna be so pissed when he finds out I told you.

Gine's voice was very shake and high. "Y ... you ... mean ..."

"Bardock is my adopted brother."

Just as Gine was about to reply the cave shook. Rocks fell from the roof and the pair covered themselves. When everything calmed down, it was eerily silent.

Toma spoke first. "Tea time's over it seems. Let's go."

Still shaking from both the news and the quake, Gine stumbled over her words. "B... but your injuries."

"We don't have time to sit down and fully heal. That shaking might mean they are getting ready for another attack. We gotta move now."

Gine's mind was still a mess, but his words came in loud and clear. She gathered up her belongings and followed Toma. She would find time for her questions later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the long delay with getting this next chapter. I decided to just keep writing until i got this arc done, but I had writer's block something awful and kept restarting every other paragraph lol. The next few chapters should be coming along, since they are already written and just need to be typed.
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone who has given me kudos and nice words. I hope everyone is enjoying the story. See you next chapter. ;)


	8. Chapter 8

"Toma."

"Don't say it."

"I really think we are completely - "

"Kid, come on. Give me a break."

" - Lost."

Toma sucked in a big gulp of air and exhaled through gritted teeth. He put on a very forced smile. "I told you before. We are not lost, we are exploring."

Gine sighed and wrapped her arms around her knees. "Well, how many times do we have to pass the same things before it's not exploration anymore? I think three times is just about enough, don't you?"

Both of them were shocked by Gine's snarky comment, but both were also too tired to argue the matter any further. The wheel of fate seemed to have spun differently for the Saiyans this go around, and whatever luck they had accumulated must have run out. Nothing had gone their way since they had left the first pool room.

Their first step to try and get out of the mine was to use the scouter to find other signs of life. Their hearts had leapt for joy when the scouter showed many small energy readings all located in one place. Hopeful that this meant a way out, the two of them rushed to the spot, running through dark tunnels and damp caves.

When they finally reached their destination, exhausted and out of breath, they received a very disappointing surprise. The area they had been led to was full of giant crystals, different from the ones Gine had seen before. These crystals were white as bones and glowed so bright that the two of them had to cover their eyes. Taking cover to get away from the blinding light, the duo had tried to figure out why the scouter led them there. There were no people or other life forms of any kind. Yet, there were power levels everywhere. After some thought and discussion, they put it all together: the power readings were coming from the crystals.

This bit of bad news upset Toma so much that he punched and shattered the nearest crystal in rage. As the crystal broke, it released an electrical-like charge that jumped from one crystal to the next. The Saiyans ran as fast as they could electrocution. Even now,hours later, they could still feel the fur of their tails standing on end.

From then on out it was the blind leading the blind. There seemed to be no consistency in how the mine was laid out. Tunnels that were well lit often led to dead ends, and tunnels that were dark and smelled moldy sometimes led to other rooms and passages. It was one leap of faith after another, and it didn't feel like they were getting anywhere. They spoke little and the tension was running high. Now they were sitting at the edge of an underground lake in a giant cavern they had passed through previously.

Gine was exhausted and wanted more than anything to take a nap. She yawned, and Toma did as well. Stretching and then laying on his side he said, "-Look, we're not going to get anywhere like this. I don't think even your soldier pills could help us right now. Set the scouter timer for about an hour and, let's get some rest."

That sounded like an grand idea to Gine. As she set the timer she asked, "how long do you think we've been down here?"

Toma shrugged, "Who knows. It was night when we were attacked, so it's probably well into the next day by now at least. Which means one day closer to the full moon. We don't want to be down here when that happens."

"We don't have to worry about transforming. We can't see the moon down here."

"Yeah, but the others will transform. We don't know where they are up there and they don't know we're down here. The ground is already weak from all the fighting, so imagine how long it will last with three giant raging apes stomping around. They'll crush us without ever knowing it."

Gine nodded in understanding. Toma made very good points on everything. Any way she looked at it the mine would be their tomb if they didn't get out soon. For now though, they needed rest, and Toma was already well on his way. He was curled up on his side, eyes closed and using his arm as a pillow. He somehow looked both tensed and relaxed at the same time. Gine smiled softly. Carefully she took her gear bag and slipped it under Toma's head. He didn't stir at all.

Yawning, Gine placed her scouter between them and laid down on the cold, wet ground. She was asleep almost instantly. In her first dream she was back home sitting at the dinner table and having another one of Thymus and Rosemary's heavenly home cooked meals. The meal was made even better by the fact everyone was there. Choy wasn't busy running the center, Bok wasn't training, and grandfather was back. Why, even her best friend Cinna was there. Everyone was laughing, talking, and just having a great time. The dinning room didn't seem so big and empty to Gine this time. She was smiling from ear to ear.

The dream changed then. Gine found herself walking down a dirt road in a dark forest with trees so close together they formed a wall. Her armor was gone and all she wore was a loose cut off shirt and panties. She had no idea where the path led to, and the further along she went the harder her heart began to beat. There was also a strange feeling washing over her. It wasn't exactly anxiety or fear, but a new sensation she could not explain. It was this feeling that made her continue onward to wherever the path would end.

After walking for a while, she exited the forest and came to stand on the grassy shore of a steamy lake. It was as blue as the sky and perfectly round. The steam coming off it was warm and comforting. It made her feel like she was floating on air.

As she stood on the shore, the misty clouds above the water began to dissipate, revealing a very strong looking muscular figure slowly moving towards her. There was no mistaking that hair.

"Bardock?" She whispered.

The steam had vanished completely, and now Gine could see the man in clear view. He stopped walking just a few feet away from her and stared at her with those warrior eyes she had gotten so used to. For some reason, she could not turn away. It was like she was under a spell and was being forced to stay in that spot. She could not fight it.

In a dreamy sleepy voice she asked, "What are you doing here?"

He didn't answer, but Gine could have sworn she saw him smirk. Bardock started towards her again and now Gine noticed something she hadn't before: he was completely naked.

The spell broke like the snapping of a tree branch. She let out a perfectly damsel like shriek and turned her back to Bardock while covering her eyes. She was red as could be.

"B-B-Bardock what do you think you are doing? This is really inappropriate. I-I mean, I didn't mean to interrupt your bath. I'm so sorry. I'll just get out of here."

When Gine tried to move, her legs wouldn't budge. It was if she'd forgotten how to walk. She almost screamed again.

"Damn it. Don't do this to me, please."

She was in an almost full panic-mode and was short of breath. She fell to her knees and tried to calm herself.

"This is a dream. This has to be a dream. Just stay calm. None of this is real. Just wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up."

There was a small splash and she dared a look over her shoulder. Bardock had moved and was now right next to the bank Gine was kneeling on. A half submerged bush was covering his lower half, and Gine cursed herself for even letting her eyes wander like that. Her grandfather would be so upset with her right now. She chanted once again for herself to wake up.

There was suddenly wetness on her bare ankle as Bardock grabbed her and Gine's blood went cold. She stared wide-eyed and terrified at the man that was holding her firmly. His stare was just as intense as ever.

"Umm, Bardock. What are you doing?"

He said nothing, but his smirk grew until it was a wicked smile. He began to pull Gine towards him in the water.

The girl screamed again and thrashed wildly, but could not free herself. His grip was stronger than any iron chain or shackles. She dug her fingers into the grassy bank to try and stop herself, but nothing worked.

Gine pleaded with him. "Bardock no! We can't. You can't. Stop!"

Her pleas were ignored. He continued to pull her to him.

"I said 'stop,' you pervert!"

Gine released a ball of energy into the lake, causing it to explode and rain water everywhere. The feeling of actual water on her skin woke her from the dream with a start. At least she thought she was awake. She was soaking wet from head to toe, her heart was still going a mile a minute, and someone was holding on to her ankle.

"I said let me go, Bar - huh?"

Instead of Bardock's muscular arm at the end of her leg, there was a long black tentacle with large white slimy suckers on it. The rest of the body was hidden in the lake.

Gine gulped. "T-Toma. Toma wake up."

Her companion was still fast asleep despite all the commotion and getting drenched. He was laying on his side, hugging himself and smiling.

Gine tried again. "Toma, wake up. We have a problem."

Toma mumbled, "Let's stay here a few more minutes, Celipa. They won't be missing us for a while."

Gine was surprised. "Huh? Celipaaa-"

The tentacle started pulling Gine toward the water with shocking speed. Her screams echoed off the cavern walls and back to her. Just before she was dragged into the water she grabbed onto a secure rock sticking out of the ground and held on as tight as she could. Her body was being lifted off the ground as the creature pulled harder. Gine looked at Toma again, and he was still asleep.

She bellowed with all her might, "TOMA WAKE UP!"

That got to him. He jerked awake and jumped to his feet. " Huh? Celipa, what's wrong?"

Gine yelled again. "Help!"

Toma's focus finally came to Gine and her plight. In one mighty bound he was by standing next to her and quickly stomped down on the tentacle, squishing it. Smelly, strange-colored blood went everywhere and the creature screamed in agony. Gine fell back on the ground and what was left of the appendage went back into the water.

Toma yelled, "What the hell? Can't anyone get any sleep around here? Kid, you alright?"

Gine gave a very weak 'yes' and tried to catch her breath. It may have been very un-Saiyan like, but right now all she wanted to do was go home. She was over this place and this mission. Things just kept going from bad to worse and there didn't seem to be any end in sight. She was so tired.

Before she could voice any of it, Toma grabbed her by the arm and flew them both to a tiny alcove along the wall. He shushed her and pulled her in so close together they were practically one person. Gine's breath hitched in her throat and she blushed furiously at the closeness. She looked up at the taller Saiyan with the question of 'why' on her lips, and noticed the intense look on Toma's face that was. It instantly made her think of Bardock further proof that they were true brothers in all but blood.

Gine stomped those thoughts out of her mind and followed Toma's gaze to the far corner of the room. She put her hand over her mouth to cover a gasp at what she saw: a light! A small beam of light came from somewhere behind a set of rocks. It searched across the cave floor and became longer and longer until it was shining over the lake. From behind the rocks appeared a small,ball shaped robot that was the source of the light; with it were two other figures wearing hard hats and carrying pick-axes. The robot illuminated the other's immediate steps and the area around them.

Gine and Toma watched the miners and robot as they walked along the shore of the lake. "We'll follow them the second they head back. Stay in the air, and don't make a sound."Toma said so quietly that Gine had to strain to hear him.

Gine nodded. This was their chance to get out of there and she had no intention of messing it up. Though it was getting harder and harder to contain herself as the miners continued their search along the lake.

As they continued their walk, the robot's light reflected off of something on the ground. It was in the same spot the Saiyans had just been resting.

"Dammit," Toma cursed. "What's the hold up? What now?"

Gine had to cover her mouth again when she realized what they had found. She whispered, "The scouter, my bag. We forgot to pick them up."

Toma bit down on his finger to keep from yelling. Gine could only imagine the words going through his mind right now. Sure enough, the search light stopped in the spot and one of the miners went to investigate. They picked up something small which could only have been the scouter, and examined it. The other miner came over and the two began speaking to each other in their native tongue. Then they turned on their own lights and began to search in a wider range.

The two Saiyans tensed up so much that they were as stiff as boards. Gine felt just awful. She was responsible for this wrinkle,and may have just blown their chances to get out. How could she have forgotten to grab her things? She was an idiot.

Once again, Toma's quick thinking saved them. "Come on. While they're distracted, let's go in the direction they came from."

"But, our stuff."

"Forget the stuff. We have to get out of here. Come on."

Toma grabbed Gine's arm again and pulled her along to flying over the lake towards the rocks the miners had come from. Behind the rocks was a very well hidden tunnel that was also very small. They never would have noticed it had they not been looking for it.

Toma nudged her along. "You go first, Kid. It's gonna be a bit of a tight fit for me."

"Right."

Gine had to get on all fours to move through the tunnel. It was by far the darkest place they had been through yet. She could see absolutely nothing in front of her, and had to use her hands to guide her. She stopped when Toma grunted behind her.

"Toma, are you alright?"

"I'll be a lot better when we get out of here. Keep going."

Gine tried to move faster, but her legs were beginning to cramp and her skin was being scratched by the rough surface. She wanted very much to stop and rest for a moment, but Toma's grunt of pain kept her moving.

Toma asked, "Kid, do you see anything up ahead at all?"

"Nothing yet. Just...oof"

"You okay?"

Gine picked herself off the floor and rubbed the shoulder she landed on. "Yeah. I think I found the end of the tunnel."

For the first time in a long while, Toma chuckled. "Sounds like it found you. See anything?"

"No, it's still dark. I don't think we're in the mine anymore, though. The floor and the walls feel different."

At that moment, the room began to rumble as a quake came through. Gine covered her head, closed her eyes, and braced herself. This was the first quake in a while and it was stronger than the other ones. Luckily, it was short lived. When Gine opened her eyes, the room was lit up by dim flickering lights.

The room they were in was filled with tools, barrels, broken weapons, and cleaning supplies. Her guess was that it was some sort of storage closet. What really caught her eye was the short set of stairs and the door.

"Toma! Toma! I think I found the way out."

"Hold on, I'm coming."

Getting out of the tunnel proved difficult for Toma due to his size. He managed to get his head, shoulders, and one arm out. The rest was stuck tight.

"Well, this sucks. A little help, please?"

With one foot firmly planted against the wall, Gine grabbed Toma's arm and pulled with all her might. It took three good tugs to free Toma and send him tumbling forward right on top of Gine.

"Hey this feels familiar," he said with a laugh. "I think I like being on top."

He easily blocked Gine's punch and helped get her to her feet. She pointed to the stairs and led the way up to a wooden door. The two of them put their ears to the door and tried listening for anything outside. They heard nothing, so with extreme caution they opened the door.

The sight of more darkness and dim lanterns almost caused the Saiyans to have heart attacks, until they realized they were in a small shadowy archway. Both of them took deep calming breaths, slowly stepped out of the shadows, and into real daylight.

The sun, fresh air, and the sound of birds singing filled Gine with so much happiness she didn't know what to do. All at once, she lost control of herself and started rolling around on the grass laughing.

"Toma, we made it! We made it. We're out. I can't believe it."

The grass felt so good on Gine's skin that she almost cried. She spread out her arms and legs to feel as much sun as possible. It was pure bliss. Suddenly, the sun was blocked out by shadow and she was roughly hoisted back to her feet.

Toma growled. "Kid, can you pretend you have survival instincts for one minute? Keep it together."

Gine was so embarrassed. She averted her eyes. "Sorry. I'm just so happy to be out of there. We made it."

Toma rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but did you even look to see where we "made it" to?"

When Gine just stared at him blankly, Toma spun her around to take notice of their surroundings. The Saiyans appeared to be in a closed off garden that had been completely trampled. They were surrounded by tall black-gray walls and even taller towers.

Spreading through the garden like blood veins were large multicolored wires that came out and went back in to the walls through punched out holes and windows. Dirty mine carts filled with tools and white crystals were lined up against the bushes, waiting to be used.

Gine was amazed and couldn't believe she had missed all this. Even the air was bad. It was hard to breathe and tasted like smoke and metal. She had to cover her mouth.

"What happened to this place, it looks awful. Oh. Do you think this has anything to do with us?"

She was answered by another wave of quakes that were strong enough to bring the Saiyans to their knees. The sound was deafening and the smell grew even worse. Toma hissed in pain when his hand fell on one of the wires and was burned.

When the quake stopped, the two of them were gasping for air. Toma shook his hand and said, "I think we found where all that shaking is coming from. That was the most intense one yet."

Gine had a splitting headache, and rubbed her temples. " Yeah. Felt really close."

"Let's investigate."

Gine did a double take. "What? Really?"

"You don't want to? Come on, Kid, where's your sense of adventure?"

"What about finding Bardock and the others? Shouldn't we do that before something else happens?"

Toma waved the idea away. "I think the worst is behind us. Besides, I'm curious. Those quakes have been chasing us all through the mine. Don't you think we should find out what we've been running from this whole time?"

Gine shrugged. "I...guess."

"Good enough. Pick a hole."

Hoping that higher up meant less people, Gine picked a hole high up on the wall. The two of them flew through and came into the second floor of a very large and wide room. The room was as messed up as the garden. What must have once been a very beautiful and rich looking place was now now ravaged and burnt. The fiercely hot wires had scorched through most of the expensive looking carpets. The walls were filthy with nasty brown and black sludge that even covered the few paintings and tapestries that still hung. Every other light fixture was broken, leaving glass on the ground along with dirty tools and small machines.

Gine gasped. "Wow!"

Toma scrunched up his nose. "Real mess, isn't it?"

"Yeah, worse than outside. Now what do we do?"

"Let's follow the wires."

Being very mindful of their steps,the Saiyans followed the wires down a dark hallway. Toma told Gine to stay on her toes, just in case things went south. Gine strained her ears for any signs of incoming danger, but heard nothing. Everything was very still and quiet.

The hallway led to another wide room. This one was full of giant machines that took up an entire wall. Glass tubes went from the machines and into the floor and ceiling. It looked like a factory.

"Wow."

"You said that already."

" Look what they did to this place. This must have been a beautiful castle once. Just what is all this?"

Toma gave a half shrug. "Kid, if I knew that we wouldn't have come in here. If I had to guess, though, I would say those machines down there are the cause of all those quakes. They look like grinders. Who knows for sure though."

"Right. Have we seen enough now?"

"Maybe. Let's-crap! Get back, the doors are opening."

The Saiyans jumped back into the shadows behind two wooden pillars, then peered around them. As many as fifty or more people wearing hazard suits came flooding into the room. Each of them were either pushing mine carts full of white crystals or carrying buckets filled with different materials. In a quick fashion, they started to form lines in front of the machines, and one at a time emptied the carts and buckets into them.

Gine and Toma exchanged glances with each other. They couldn't begin to fathom what was happening. They knew they needed to run, but curiosity got the better of them, and so they watched.

They did not have to wait long. The masked people made quick work of their task. As soon as everyone was done, the machine doors closed. Above each machine were lights that glowed red, then yellow, then green.

Before they knew it, Toma and Gine were on the floor, trying to protect all their senses at the same time. The air felt so toxic and dry it felt like their insides were shriviling up and the noise was at an unbearable level. Both felt like they were going insane.

Gine managed to pry her eyes open to see Toma rolling on the floor same as her. Bits of the ceiling started to fall down around them. She looked up to see one big chunk about to fall right on top of Toma. She swallowed her agony and was just in time to grab him and jump out of the way. They tumbled through another hole in the wall and back to the outside. They landed hard in a soft flower bed.

For two minutes they had to catch their breath. Gine felt like she had just been strangled. She coughed and choeked out," If we had been in there one more minute I'm sure we'd be dead."

Toma's voice was dry. "I don't doubt it. Whatever that was, it was killer. Hopefully it won't be in the next room we pick."

"Toma, are you nuts?" Gine said, floored. "We almost just died in there and you want to go right back in? You might as well say 'let's go back into the mines'."

Toma looked at her like SHE was crazy. "Well, yeah. Don't you want to see what all that was about? What those crystals are being used for?"

"No."

"Well I do, I'm still curious. If this does have to do with us, I want to see what they have planned. Might be a fun fight. What do you say?"

"No," Gine said more firmly. "Let's just find Bardock and the others. You said yourself he's probably looking for us."

"You're really not the least bit curious?"

"To be honest, I'm over the whole thing."

"Well unfortunately for you, there's no choice. I'm stronger than you and second in command. We're going back in right now."

Gine was speechless. What was there to say? He was right. She never had any real control over the situation and it seemed silly now to think she ever did.

As Toma walked past her he said, "Look. I owe you for helping me in the mines and just now. So tell you what: if nothing is in the next room we enter, we'll just burn this place to the ground and then go and find the others. Sound good?"

Gine nodded weakly. "I guess."

"Let's go, then."

Toma lifted off toward another broken window and Gine followed forlornly behind him. The room they entered was a luxurious bedroom with a giant soft looking canopy and red floors. The only thing amiss about the room were the two entwined bodies occupying the bed. They were just as shocked to see the Saiyans as they were them.

Toma spoke cheerfully. "Taking a break, guys? Sure you deserved it."

The pair had no time to untangle themselves from the sheets before Toma had their necks in his hands. He snapped them promptly.

"At least they had some fun in the end, right? Good way to go, I'd say."

Gine just nodded.

"Hey, look what we have here. We could use these to get around."

Toma picked up two hazard suits from the floor and tossed one to Gine. She looked it over carefully. This whole affair felt really surreal.

"Really?"

"Really. Hurry up and put it on while I hide the bodies. It stretches just like our armor."

Gine sighed, but put the suit on without protest. For some reason, her thoughts returned to Bardock and wondering where he was. She wondered if he was close. She also wondered just how mad he would be when they were finally reunited. She sighed again and gave a silent apology for making Bardock wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for reading. Almost to the end of this arc now.


End file.
